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Otis Redding

 
Who2 Biography: Otis Redding, Singer / Songwriter
 

  • Born: 9 September 1941
  • Birthplace: Dawson, Georgia
  • Died: 10 December 1967
  • Best Known As: Soul singer who did "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"

Otis Redding was a black soul singer who died in a plane crash in 1967, just before the release of what turned out to be his biggest hit, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." Redding grew up in Macon, Georgia, where he became a hometown favorite because of his passionate performances. In 1962 he recorded his own ballad, "These Arms of Mine," a minor hit that gave him credibility as a recording artist. Redding had more than a dozen hits on the R&B charts, but crossing over to mainstream pop proved more difficult, despite popular covers of Sam Cooke's "Shake" (1967) and The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" (1966). His performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival boosted his profile with white audiences and Redding was well on his way to becoming a superstar, as both a performer and songwriter (he wrote Aretha Franklin's hit "Respect"). But on 10 December 1967 Redding's private plane crashed in Lake Monona outside Madison, Wisconsin, killing him and four members of his backing group. His other hit songs include "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "I Can't Turn You Loose" and "Try a Little Tenderness."

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Artist: Otis Redding
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Otis Redding

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Influenced By:

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Performed Songs By:

Worked With:

Al Jackson, Jr., Jim Stewart, Floyd Newman, Gene Miller, Andrew Love, Wayne Jackson, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Sammie Coleman, Joe Arnold
  • Born: September 09, 1941, Dawson, GA
  • Died: December 10, 1967, Madison, WI
  • Active: '60s
  • Genres: Rhythm & Blues
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1," "The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 2," "Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding"
  • Representative Songs: "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the," "Try a Little Tenderness," "I've Been Loving You Too Long"

Biography

One of the most influential soul singers of the 1960s, Otis Redding exemplified to many listeners the power of Southern "deep soul" -- hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, and an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads. He was also the most consistent exponent of the Stax sound, cutting his records at the Memphis label/studios that did much to update R&B into modern soul. His death at the age of 26 was tragic not just because he seemed on the verge of breaking through to a wide pop audience (which he would indeed do with his posthumous number one single "[Sittin' On] The Dock of the Bay"). It was also unfortunate because, as "Dock of the Bay" demonstrated, he was also at a point of artistic breakthrough in terms of the expression and sophistication of his songwriting and singing.

Although Redding at his peak was viewed as a consummate, versatile showman, he began his recording career in the early '60s as a Little Richard-styled shouter. The Georgian was working in the band of guitarist Johnny Jenkins at the time, and in 1962 he took advantage of an opportunity to record the ballad "These Arms of Mine" at a Jenkins session. When it became an R&B hit, Redding's solo career was truly on its way, though the hits didn't really start to fly until 1965 and 1966, when "Mr. Pitiful," "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "I Can't Turn You Loose," a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," and "Respect" (later turned into a huge pop smash by Aretha Franklin) were all big sellers.

Redding wrote much of his own material, sometimes with the assistance of Booker T. & the MG's guitarist Steve Cropper. Yet at the time, Redding's success was primarily confined to the soul market; his singles charted only mildly on the pop listings. He was nonetheless tremendously respected by many white groups, particularly the Rolling Stones, who covered Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is" and "Pain in My Heart." (Redding also returned the favor with "Satisfaction.")

One of Redding's biggest hits was a duet with fellow Stax star Carla Thomas, "Tramp," in 1967. That was the same year he began to show signs of making major inroads into the white audience, particularly with a well-received performance at the Monterey Pop Festival (also issued on record). Redding's biggest triumph, however, came just days before his death, when he recorded the wistful "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," which represented a significant leap as far as examination of more intensely personal emotions. Also highlighted by crisp Cropper guitar leads and dignified horns, it rose to the top of the pop charts in early 1968.

Redding, however, had perished in a plane crash in Wisconsin on December 10, 1967, in an accident that also took the lives of four members from his backup band, the Bar-Kays. A few other singles became posthumous hits, and a good amount of other unreleased material was issued in the wake of his death. These releases weren't purely exploitative in nature, in fact containing some pretty interesting music, and little that could be considered embarrassing. What Redding might have achieved, or what directions he might have explored, are among the countless tantalizing "what if" questions in rock & roll history. As it is, he did record a considerable wealth of music at Stax, which is now available on thoughtfully archived reissues. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
 
Discography: Otis Redding
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Live in London and Paris

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Respect [Rhino]

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Otis Redding [Tin Can]

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Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding

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(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay and Other Hits

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Essentials

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Shake and Other Hits

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Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1

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Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding

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Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding

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Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding

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Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding

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Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding

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Otis Redding [DVD]

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I've Been Loving You Too Long & Other Hits

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Platinum Collection

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Definitive Soul Collection

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Good to Me: Live at the Whiskey a Go Go, Vol. 2

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Very Best of Otis Redding

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3 for 1 Box Set

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Sitting on the Dock of the Bay [DVD]

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Covered by Otis

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Dock of the Bay/The Soul Album

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Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology

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Stax Profiles

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Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 2

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Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul [Collector's Edition]

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In Concert

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Love Songs

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It's Not Just Sentimental

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Remember Me

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Otis Redding Story

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Ultimate Otis Redding

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Tell the Truth

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Love Man

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Love Man

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In Person at the Whisky a Go Go

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In Person at the Whisky a Go Go

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Immortal Otis Redding

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Dock of the Bay

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Live in Europe

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Live in Europe

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King & Queen

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Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul

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Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul

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Soul Album

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Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

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Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

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Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

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Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul

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Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads

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Pain in My Heart

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Deep Memphis Soul

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Black Biography: Otis Redding
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singer; songwriter

Personal Information

Born Otis Redding, Jr., on September 9, 1941, in Dawson, GA; died December 9, 1967, in Lake Monona near Madison, WI; son of Otis, Sr., (a part-time preacher); married Zelma Redding in 1959; children: Dexter, Karla, and Otis III.
Education: Attended Ballard High School, Macon, Georgia.

Career

As a teenager worked as well digger and gas station attendant; sang on the road with Little Richard's former band, the Upsetters; appeared at Macon's talent show at Douglass Theatre, 1959; went to California to record in 1960; returned to Macon and performed in bands such as Little Willie and the Panthers and later with Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers; recorded first hit single at Stax/Volt records in Memphis, 1962; recorded at Stax for next five years and toured nationally; formed own the Jotis label and took part in the European Stax/Volt tour, 1966; performed at Monterey International Pop Festival in June of 1967; earned a posthumous million-selling record in 1968.

Life's Work

In December of 1967 Otis Redding's private plane crashed into the icy waters of Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin, killing the famed singer who landed his only number one hit and Grammy award- winning record, "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay," posthumously. Before his tragic death, Redding emerged, during the early 1960s, as the creator of a unique vocal style and one of the decade's greatest soul performers. Backed by the house musicians of Memphis' Stax/Volt record label, he recorded a wealth of titles which continue to find their way into the repertoires of soul and rock performers. By the late 1960s, Redding brought the music of his humble Georgia roots to the concert stages of Europe, building an international audience that influenced musicians from America, England, and the African continent.

Otis Redding was born on September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, one of Otis Redding Sr.'s six children. At age three Redding moved with his family three hundred miles north to Macon, and settled into the Belleview housing project, known to local residents as Hellview. Not long after, Reddings' father--a part-time preacher employed at nearby Robbins Air Force Base--moved the family into a small shotgun house. After fire damaged the residence, the family moved back into Macon's housing projects. During his early years in Macon, Redding sang in a gospel group, played drums in the school band, and performed piano at local talent contests. His early vocal influences included Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Little Willie John, and Hank Ballard. Though Cooke remained a musical role model and an example of an independent black businessman, Redding later expressed, in The Life and Times of Little Richard, his debt to his fellow Georgian Little Richard, "I entered the music business because of Richard--he is my inspiration. I used to sing like Little Richard, his Rock 'n' Roll stuff, you know. Richard has soul, too."

By the time Redding entered Ballard High School his father was frequently hospitalized from the worsening effects of tuberculosis. To help support the family, he dropped out of school in the tenth grade and worked as a well-digger and gas station attendant. His passion for music, however, led him to land a more lucrative employment with Little Richard's former band, the Upsetters. In 1959 Redding performed at a local talent show, "Teenage Party," held at Macon's Douglass Theatre and broadcasted live on WIBB radio. Singing in "a modified Little Richard style," Redding emerged the show's weekly contest winner. In Sweet Soul Music, guitarist Johnny Jenkins later recounted first hearing Redding at a "Teenage Party" performance, "I heard Otis at the Douglass, and the group behind him just wasn't making it. So I went up to him and said, 'Do you mind if I play behind you?' Cause he didn't know me....Well, he sounded great with me playing behind him." Not long after that Jenkins and Redding began to perform together at small venues.

While playing the Douglass Theatre, in 1959, Redding met his future wife Zelma. In the following year, the twenty-year old singer left for Los Angeles, telling Zelma that he was destined for stardom as a recording artist. In the liner notes to The Definitive Otis Redding, Zelma recounted, "When Otis went to California to record I was three months pregnant with Dexter {the couple's first son}. He said he was going to be a star." Though she had initial doubts concerning Redding's musical career goals and the promise of marriage upon his return, Zelma stood by her determined boyfriend. On the west coast Redding recorded for the Finer Arts label, a session that included the 1960 single "She's Alright," by Otis Redding and the Shooters.

Redding returned to Macon in 1960 and performed with Little Willie and the Panthers, managed by local white rhythm and blues impresario Phil Walden. Not long after, Redding became a featured guest singer with Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers. Backed by the Pinetoppers, Redding recorded the 1960 single "Shout Bamalama" for Bobby Smith's Confederate label (later renamed Bethlehem), a number which, despite its receiving radio air play on WLAC, failed commercially. In 1961 Redding married Zelma, fulfilling his earlier promise to a woman who would prove a life-long source of affection and support. Convinced of her husband's burgeoning talent, Zelma worked various jobs to support the family. "Otis enjoyed every minute of his life," recalled Zelma, in the liner notes to The Definitive Otis Redding. "He had his own mind about what he would dream....He didn't complain. If it was fine, it was fine. If it wasn't, it was, 'It'll work out.' That's what he'd say. 'Oh, it'll work out.' And that's how he kept himself going," she added. Redding's determination to become a full-time professional singer, according to Geri Hirshey in Nowhere to Run, caused him to be "fired as a lot attendant for singing in parked cars" and also lose a job as a "hospital orderly for vocalizing in the halls."

Redding's perseverance, however, soon earned him local fame. He continued performing as "Rockhouse Redding" with Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers, in 1962, appearing at halls and college dances. As a result of the Pinetoppers' local hit "Soul Twist," the group was invited, upon the intercession of Atlantic record's regional talent scout Joe Galkin, to record at Memphis' Stax Studio. In October of 1962, Redding, upon the urging of promoter and booking agent Phil Walden, drove the Pinetoppers to their Stax recording session. During the last half hour of an unproductive Pinetoppers' session, Redding despite the protest of several band members, gained permission to record his numbers "Hey, Hey, Hey" b/w "These Arms of Mine." Though "Hey, Hey, Hey" revealed a strong Little Richard influence, The b-side number "These Arms of Mine"--written by Redding--emerged a soulful ballad which exuded a tormented sense of yearning. Redding's recordings fell under a deal in which Stax agreed to promote the records for fifty percent of the publishing rights, and release the albums on the company's newly formed subsidiary Volt label. "These Arms of Mine" found commercial success through the efforts of Nashville disc jockey "John R" Richbourg whose airplay of the song on WLAC radio broke it into the R&B market.

Nine months after recording "These Arms of Mine," Redding, who had already ventured beyond his imitative vocal period, returned to Stax studio, and over the next five years enjoyed a nearly ideal creative and financial working relationship with the owners, staff, and musicians at Stax/Volt Records. As Peter Guralnick noted, in his work Sweet Soul Music, "With {Redding's} arrival Stax entered a whole new phase ... that made Stax a byword in soul circles, that would eventually open up the world of Southern soul to a large- scale white audience." In All The Years of Popular Music, David Ewen pointed out that "Redding not only helped to create soul, but he was also responsible for producing the "Memphis Sound." As Guralnick stated in Sweet Soul Music, "Otis Redding was the heart and soul of Stax Records."

At Stax studio in 1963, Redding recorded with the company's talented house band: Booker T and the MG's, a racially diverse group which included organist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, drummer Al Jackson Jr., and bassist Lewis Steinberg (soon replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn). Unlike other modern studios of the period, the Stax formula did not employ the use of multi-tracking or overdubs. At Stax the staff and the company's musicians encouraged an improvisatory approach by its artists--what the house musicians often termed spontaneous arrangements. Redding greatly benefitted from the interplay of the MG's and the Mar-Keys horn section. In his work The Sound of the City, Charlie Gillett observed that the band's strong rhythm afforded Redding "to stay close to it without emphasizing every alternate beat, as was the current treatment in fast songs. When he did come in hard with the band, the effect was exhilarating." Redding benefitted from the talents of his manager Phil Walden who had first heard the singer on the "Teenage Party" radio show, and became the first promoter to take notice of the young singer. Through the management of Walden and his brother Alan, Redding played a string of nightclub dates throughout the South.

By 1964 Stax released a number of Redding's single sides such as "Pain in My Heart" (patterned after Irma Thomas' performance of Aaron Neville's number "Rules of My Heart"), "That's How Strong My Love Is," and "Mr. Pitiful," co-written by Redding and Stax guitarist Steve Cropper, who would prove a tremendous asset in the playing and authoring of Redding's music. In January of 1964 Stax/Volt released Redding's debut album Pain in My Heart, and, in March of the same year, followed with The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (both works culled material from Redding's previous singles). September of 1965 saw the release of Redding's Otis Blue, Otis Redding Sings Soul, a work considered, among many popular music critics, as the decade's finest soul record (Otis Blue also emerged as Redding's first album to reach the charts in England). Dedicated to Redding's idol Sam Cooke who died in 1964, the album contained covers of Cooke's "Shake" and "Change Gonna Come," and included three original songs: "Ole Man Trouble," "Respect," and his masterpiece ballad, co-written with Jerry Butler, "I've Been Loving You Too Long."

With first rate back-up musicians and a first-rate management team, Redding's career quickly gained momentum. By 1966 he launched his own new record company Jotis and acquired a 300-acre ranch which stabled several horses and a small herd of Angus cattle. In October of 1966 he recorded his album Complete and Unbelievable ... The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, which featured such classic numbers as Redding's "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa Song, co-written with Steve Cropper and, "Try a Little Tenderness", both of which have emerged as popular music standards. The album Dictionary of Soul, wrote rock critic Jon Landau, "was the finest ever to come out of Memphis, truly one of the finest pop recordings of the decade." In his work Nowhere to Run, Gerri Hershey concurred, "Otis Redding was never more clearly defined than in his 1966 LP Dictionary of Soul."

In January of 1967, Redding teamed up with Memphis singer Carla Thomas to record the album King and Queen. On the album's cover of bluesman Lowell Fulson's "Tramp," Redding and Thomas engage in satirical dialogue, with Thomas, posing as Redding's mate, dismissing him for looking "... country, straight from the Georgia woods." That same year, several of Redding's concert were captured on albums such as the 1967 Otis Live in Europe, recorded on the 1967 Volt/Stax European Tour. In June of the same year, Redding performed Northern California's Monterey Pop Festival. Singing to a crowd of fifty thousand hippie generation "acid trippers" exposed Redding to the largest white audience he had yet to encounter during his career. The festival's program was divided into a 'pop' performance on Friday, a Saturday night show featuring California bands, and a closing appearance of 'superstars' on Sunday. Black R&B acts like Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, and African trumpeter Hugh Masakela were booked at various intervals throughout the weekend. Taking the stage Redding and the clean-cut looking MG's and Mar- Keys launched into the fast-paced opener "Shake." According to the film Remembering Otis, Redding asked the audience, "Y'all the love crowd, right? We all love each other, am I right? Let me hear you say Yeah, then!" After rousing the crowd, he launched into his masterpiece ballad "I've Been Loving You Too Long."

In the fall of 1967, Redding underwent an operation for polyps on his throat and took three months off his busy schedule to convalesce at his Big-O ranch. While he enjoyed his time off from the road, Redding was earning worldwide praise. In October, the British music magazine Melody Maker named Redding as "Best Male Vocalist," replacing the previous seven-year consecutive winner, Elvis Presley. In early December of 1967, he took part in a Stax session which yielded his original number "(Sittin' On) The Dock of Bay." After completing the session, Redding and his back-up band, the Bar-Keys (a unit which superseded the Mar-Keys horn section), boarded a plane headed for a concert date in Madison, Wisconsin.

On December 9, 1967, Redding's twin-engine Beechcraft airplane crashed into Lake Monona, killing the singer and all but one member of the Bar-Keys. At Redding's funeral held in Macon's City Auditorium thousands of fans filed pass his coffin to give their last respects. At the service Booker T. played the organ and Jerry Wexler gave the eulogy. As Wexler later recounted in Rhythm and the Blues, "There was something pure about his personality, calm, dignified, vibrant ... Stardom never changed him. He had a strong inner life. He was emotionally centered." Wexler continued, "Redding was one of those rare souls who saw beyond color and externalities; he dealt with you as a human being, not as white or black or a Christian or a Jew. His intelligence was keen, his curiosity high, and despite stories to the contrary he was anything but the cliche' of the backwoods boy come to the big city. Otis knew what was happening."

Redding's death also left an impact on fellow musicians like James Brown, who, months before Redding's death, had talked with Redding and Solomon Burke about forming a black-owned entertainment company. "{Redding's} death was tragic to me," stated Brown, in his memoir Godfather of Soul. "I knew him from way back in Macon when he was just a kid .... I'd see him out on the road, and we always talked about how much we missed Georgia," he added.

Otis Redding "believed in communication," commented Jon Landau in his work It's Too Late to Stop Now. "Every device and technique he created was designed to further his communicative potentiality," he added. His music evoked a simple yet powerful directness, premised on the ability to reach his fellow man in honest message and delivery. "Otis worked in simple, black," explained Redding's guitarist and co-songwriter Steve Cropper, in Nowhere to Run. "The man would make Gerschwin sound greasy." In the decades since Redding's death his music still communicates a sense of self- liberation and the need to overcome loneliness, the travails of lost love, and the barriers of a mainstream society which could no longer ignore the proud and talented voice of black America.

Awards

"Best Male Vocalist, Melody Maker Magazine, 1967; Grammy award, for "(Sitting on) The Dock Of The Bay", 1968.

Works

Selective Discography

  • Pain in My Heart, Stax/Volt, 1964.
  • The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads, Stax/Volt, 1965.
  • Otis Blues, Otis Redding Sings Soul, Stax/Volt, 1965.
  • The Soul Album, Stax/Volt, 1966.
  • Complete and Unbelievable...The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, Stax/Volt, 1966.
  • King and Queen (Otis Redding and Carla Thomas), Stax, 1967.
  • Live in Europe, Stax/Volt, 1967.
  • The Dock of the Bay, 1968.
  • Otis Redding/The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Historic Performances At Monterey International Pop Festival, (recorded 1967) Reprise, 1970.
  • Recorded Live: Previously Unreleased Performances, (recorded 1966), Atlantic, 1982.
  • The Best Of Otis Redding, Atlantic, 1985.
  • The Otis Redding Story, Atlantic, 1987.
  • Good to Me: Recorded Live at the Whiskey A Go Go, Vol. 2, (recorded 1966), Stax, 1993.
  • The Definitive Otis Redding, (CD Box set), Rhino Records, 1993.
  • With Others The Stax/Volt Revue: Hit the Road Stax, Volume 3 Live in Europe, (recorded 1967), Stax, 1992.
  • Films Remembering Otis, (filmed at Monterey International Pop Festival 1967) Pennbaker Associates, 1986.

Further Reading

Books

  • Brown, James with Bruce Tucker, James Brown the Godfather of Soul, Thunder's Mouth Press, 1997, p. 177.
  • Ewen, David, All The Years of American Popular Music: A Comprehensive History, Prentice-Hall Inc., 1977, p. 682-683.
  • Gillett, Charlie, The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll, Outerbridge & Dienstfrey, 1970, p. 271, 277-279.
  • Guralnick, Peter, Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom, Harper & Row, 1986.
  • Hirshey, Gerri, Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music, Times Books, 1984, p. 337-344.
  • Landau, Jon, It's Too late To Stop Now: A Rock 'n' Roll Journal, (includes essay "Otis Redding: King of Them All"), Straight Arrow Books, 1972, pp. 155-159.
  • White, Charles, The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock, Harmony Books, 1984, p. 220.
  • Additional information for this profile taken from the liner notes to The Definitive Otis Redding, edited by Jaimie Wolf, (includes various essays) Rhino Records, 1993.

— John Cohassey

 
Wikipedia: Otis Redding
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Otis Redding
Born September 9, 1941(1941-09-09)
Dawson, Georgia, U.S.
Died December 10, 1967 (aged 26)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Genre(s) Deep soul, Southern soul, Soul, Soul blues
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1960–1967
Label(s) Stax, Volt, Atco, Rhino, Sundazed
Website Otis Redding Official Website

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941  – December 10, 1967) was an American soul singer. Often called the "King of Soul", he is renowned for an ability to convey strong emotion through his voice.[1][2] According to the website of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (where he was inducted in 1989), Redding's name is "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm and blues into a form of funky, secular testifying."[3] In addition, rock critic Jon Landau said in 1967 that '"Otis Redding is rock & roll".[4] Redding died in a plane crash at the age of 26, one month before his biggest hit, "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay", was released. In 2008 American music magazine Rolling Stone named Otis the eighth greatest singer of all time.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Redding was born in the small town of Dawson, Georgia. When he was 5, his family moved to Macon, Georgia. Redding sang in the choir at church, and as a teenager won the talent show at the Douglass Theatre for 15 weeks in a row.[5] His early influences were Little Richard and Sam Cooke. Richard Pennyman (Little Richard) was also a Macon resident.[6] Redding said, "If it hadn't been for Little Richard, I would not be here. I entered the music business because of Richard--he is my inspiration. I used to sing like Little Richard, his Rock 'n' Roll stuff, you know. Richard has soul, too. My present music has a lot of him in it."[7]

Career

In 1960, Redding began touring the South with Johnny Jenkins and The Pinetoppers. In addition to singing, Redding also served as Jenkins' driver since the bandleader did not possess a driver's license. That same year he made his first recordings, "Fat Gal" and "Shout Bamalama" with this group under the name "Otis Redding and The Pinetoppers" Issued on the Orbit and Confederate record labels before being picked up by King.

In 1962, Redding made his first real mark in the music business during a Johnny Jenkins session when, during studio time left over, he recorded "These Arms of Mine", a ballad that he had written. The song became a minor hit on Volt Records, a subsidiary of the renowned Southern soul label Stax, based in Memphis, Tennessee. His manager was a fellow Maconite, Phil Walden (who later founded Capricorn Records). Redding was also managed for a brief period by Walden's younger brother Alan Walden while Phil was overseas due to a military draft.[8] Otis Redding continued to release for Stax/Volt, and built his fan base by extensively touring a live show with support from fellow Stax artists Sam & Dave. Further hits between 1964 and 1966 included "Mr. Pitiful", "I Can't Turn You Loose" (which was to become The Blues Brothers entrance theme music), "Try a Little Tenderness" (a remake of the 1930s standard by Harry Woods, Jimmy Campbell, and Reg Connelly, later featured in John Hughes' film Pretty in Pink), "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones), and "Respect" (later a smash hit for Aretha Franklin).

Redding wrote many of his own songs, which was unusual for the time, often with Steve Cropper (of the Stax house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, who usually served as Otis's backing band in the studio). Soul singer Jerry Butler co-wrote another hit, "I've Been Loving You Too Long". One of Redding's few songs with a significant mainstream following was "Tramp," (1967) a duet with Carla Thomas.

In 1967, Redding performed at the large and influential Monterey Pop Festival. His extraordinary musical gifts were then exposed to a wider audience and may have contributed to his subsequent success as a popular music recording artist.

Death

On December 9, 1967, Redding and his backup band, The Bar-Kays, made an appearance in Cleveland, Ohio on the local "Upbeat" television show. The next afternoon, Redding, his manager, the pilot, and four members of The Bar-Kays were killed when his Beechcraft 18 airplane crashed into Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, on December 10, 1967. The two remaining Bar-Kays were Ben Cauley and James Alexander. Cauley was the only person aboard Redding's plane to survive the crash. Alexander was on another plane, since there were eight members in Redding's party and the plane could only hold seven, and it was Alexander's turn in the rotation to take a commercial flight. Cauley reported that he had been asleep until just seconds before impact, and recalled that upon waking he saw bandmate Phalon Jones look out a window and say, "Oh, no!" Cauley said the last thing he remembered before the crash was unbuckling his seatbelt. He then found himself in the frigid waters of the lake, grasping a seat cushion to keep afloat.[9]

Redding's body was recovered the next day when the lake bed was searched. He was entombed on his private ranch in Round Oak, Georgia, 23 miles (37 km) north of Macon. The cause of the crash was never precisely determined.

Personal life

Otis is survived by his wife, mother and father, his sons Dexter and Otis III and his daughter Karla.

Posthumous releases

"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was recorded only three days before Redding's death. According to Nashid Munyan, curator of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Redding considered the song unfinished, having whistled the tune of one verse for which he intended to compose lyrics later.[10] The song was released (with the place-holding whistling intact) in January 1968 and became Redding's only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and the first posthumous single in U.S. chart history. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was a significant stylistic departure from the bulk of his previous work, and might have presaged a change in direction for the singer. [11]

Shortly after Redding's death, Atlantic Records, distributor of the Stax/Volt releases, was purchased by Warner Bros. Stax was required to renegotiate its distribution deal, and found that Atlantic actually owned the entire Stax/Volt back catalog. [12] Stax was unable to regain the rights to their recordings, and severed their relationship with Atlantic. Atlantic also retained the rights to all unreleased Otis Redding masters. [12]

Redding had recorded a massive amount of material in late 1967 just before his death (it was from these sessions that "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" emerged). Atlantic had enough material for three new Redding studio albums - The Immortal Otis Redding (1968), Love Man (1969), and Tell the Truth (1970) - which were all issued on Atlantic's Atco Records. [12] A number of successful singles emerged from these LPs, among them "Amen" (1968), "Hard to Handle" (1968), "I've Got Dreams to Remember" (1968), "Love Man" (1969), and "Look at That Girl" (1969). [12] Singles were also lifted from two live Atlantic-issued Redding albums, In Person at the Whisky a Go Go, recorded in 1966 and issued 1968 on Atco, and Monterey International Pop Festival, a Reprise Records release featuring the live Monterey Pop Festival performances of The Jimi Hendrix Experience on side one and Redding on side two.

Legacy

Statue in Gateway Park

In 1993, the U.S. Post Office issued an Otis Redding 29 cents commemorative postage stamp. Redding was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 1999 he posthumously received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed three Redding recordings ("Shake," "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," and "Try a Little Tenderness") among its list of "The 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." [13] Rolling Stone ranked Redding #21 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time[14].

In 2002, the city of Macon honored its native son, unveiling a memorial statue of Redding in the city's Gateway Park. The park is next to the Otis Redding Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Ocmulgee River. The Rhythm and Blues Foundation named Redding as the recipient of its 2006 Legacy Award.

In September 2007, the first official DVD anthology of Redding's live performances was released by Concord Music Group, the current owners of the Stax catalog. The DVD, entitled Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding, featured 16 classic full-length performances and 40 minutes of new interviews documenting Redding's life and career.[15] It was premiered at the Douglass Theatre.

In November 2008, Rolling Stone Magazine placed Redding at number 8 in their list of "100 Greatest Singers of All-Time".

Exhibitions

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the passing of the legendary Otis Redding, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame presented the first major exhibition of music, photographs, film and artifacts documenting the singer's life and musical legacy (September 14, 2007 – September 10, 2008). "I've Got Dreams to Remember" features over 175 artifacts including photographs, hand-written lyrics, posters, letters and other personal memorabilia, as well as multi-media kiosks exploring Otis Redding's evolution as a singer, composer, arranger and producer. Organized in association with the Otis Redding Estate, the exhibition was curated by Ellen Fleurov, president of Crossroads Traveling Exhibitions, Atlanta. The exhibition was named "Museum Exhibition of the Year" by the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries in January 2008.

Among the highlights of "I've Got Dreams to Remember," drawn from the Georgia Music Hall of Fame's permanent collection and the archives of the Redding family, as well as friends and colleagues, are:

  • Obscure, pre-Stax recordings released in 1960 and 1961 on the Transworld, Finer Arts, Alshire, Confederate and Gerald labels;
  • A family scrapbook with candid images of Redding on stage at black clubs and theaters, including the Apollo in Harlem and The Royal Peacock in Atlanta, Georgia, ca. 1962–1965;
  • A press release from Walden & Associates that describes "One of the biggest mistakes of Otis' career"- not recording Dylan's Just Like A Woman, which he had written with Redding in mind after seeing him perform at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood in April 1966;
  • Hand-written lyrics for Don't Let Me Waste My Time, a never-recorded song;
  • Remarkable concert and behind-the-scenes images from the 1966 and 1967 performances at the Olympia Theater in Paris by Jean-Pierre Leloir, one of Europe's most recognized music photographers;
  • Memorabilia, photographs, and notable recordings from Jotis, Redding's own label, by protégés such as Billy Young and Arthur Conley;
  • An ultra-rare poster advertising the December 10, 1967, Otis Redding concert at the Factory in Madison, Wisconsin, the concert he was en route to when his plane crashed into Lake Monona, killing Redding and all but one aboard; and
  • Western Union telegrams to Redding's family from James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley and other musical luminaries expressing their heartfelt sorrow over Redding's death.

Multi-media stations feature rare concert performance footage and outtakes from Redding's appearances on local and syndicated teen music programs. Also highlighted are tracks from the singer's seminal studio and live recordings, plus early, lesser-known singles, outtakes, variant recordings, original compositions performed and covered by other musicians and his own cover versions of music by Sam Cooke, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, among others. Excerpts of interviews with Redding himself and individuals and artists such as Zelma Redding, Rodgers Redding, Steve Cropper, Stax co-founder Jim Stewart, Alan Walden, DJs Hamp Swain and Satellite Poppa and others contribute personal stories and insights to the experience.

In popular culture

  • Arthur Conley made mention of Otis Redding in his 1967 song "Sweet Soul Music" with the line "Spotlight on Otis Redding now Singing fa fa fa fa...".
  • Beginning with their 1993–1994 performances of the song Hey Nineteen, the band Steely Dan replaced the phrase "Hey Nineteen/That's Aretha Franklin/She don't remember/Queen of Soul" with "Hey Nineteen/That's Otis Redding/She don't remember/King of Soul." While singing the song in the Two Against Nature tour of 2000, Donald Fagen often left the name attribution blank for the singing-along audiences to fill in, and when most of them sang "Aretha Franklin," he corrected them by saying, "No, that's Otis Redding."
  • Barry Gibb has stated in numerous interviews that the song To Love Somebody was written for Otis Redding, but died before he was able to record it.
  • The Doors, fans of Redding, added this verse before "Runnin' Blue": "Poor Otis dead and gone, left me here to sing his song. Pretty little girl with the red dress on, Poor Otis dead and gone." Singer Jim Morrison had been singing those lines on their tour the year before. Morrison also added in the same song the line "Got to find the dock of the bay", which was the name of Redding's compilation album 'The Dock of the Bay' which was released in 1968.
  • The Grateful Dead frequently covered "Hard To Handle" during their concerts.
  • The Righteous Brothers song "Rock and Roll Heaven" features the verse: "Otis brought us all to the dock of the bay", a tribute to Redding and his song "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay".
  • A likeness of Redding appears as an evil version of himself in Nightmares & Dreamscapes, adapted from Stephen King's short story You Know They Got a Hell of a Band. Redding is portrayed as a police officer in the town of Rock N Roll Heaven, which is populated by late rock and roll legends.
  • Steve Perry made mention of Otis Redding in his 1984 song "Captured by the Moment" with the line "Otis replied, a little tenderness we got to try.", a reference to the Redding song "Try a Little Tenderness"
  • The 1986 film Pretty In Pink featured Duckie (Jon Cryer) dancing and singing along to "Try a Little Tenderness". He states his admiration for Otis.
  • The 1986 film Top Gun features Pete Mitchell/Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Charlotte Blackwood/Charlie (Kelly McGillis) listening to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". Pete states that while he was still a youth, after his father died in combat, his grieving mother would call for Pete, and requested him to keep playing the same records over again, and "The Dock of the Bay" was on one of those records.
  • The band Okkervil River wrote a song called "Listening to Otis Redding at Home during Christmas" on their album Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See.
  • Redding's sons Dexter and Otis III, together with cousin Mark Locket, founded the funk/disco-band The Reddings in 1978.
  • Otis the pug from The Adventures of Milo and Otis is named after Otis Redding. The naming was apparently inspired by a scene in which the dog is sitting on a dock.
  • The song "Hard to Handle" was covered by The Black Crowes on their 1990 debut album Shake Your Money Maker.
  • Redding's music was heavily featured in the 1991 film The Commitments, including "Mr Pitiful", "Try a Little Tenderness" and "Hard to Handle".
  • In Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, protagonist Rob Fleming is thrilled to purchase a copy of the 1976 bootleg 45 single, "You Left the Water Running", from a woman who is pawning her husband's albums at a very low price in retaliation for his infidelity.
  • In 1997, on their album Midwestern Songs of the Americas the Minneapolis punk quartet Dillinger Four paid tribute to Otis Redding in the song "Doublewhiskeycokenoice" with these lyrics: "God save Otis Redding because I know he's never gone". This song also contains a sample from the song "Stay in School", in which Redding speaks: "Hi, this is the big O. I was just standing here thinking about you, thought I'd write a song about you, and dedicate it to you. Take a listen."
  • The 2000 Everclear album, Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile, features a song titled "Otis Redding", which contains the lyric, "I wish I could sing like Otis Redding, I wish I could play this guitar in tune." On the 2003 Sara Evans album Restless, there is also a song entitled "Otis Redding", referencing how the legend's music making the song's heroine feel good and reminds her of the summer.
  • The rock band Phish routinely plays a song written by a friend from Burlington, Vermont, Richard Wright, called "I Didn't Know" featuring the lyrics "Pardon me, Doug (pardon me, Doug,) Is this a picture of Otis Redding? Yes! Yes! Taken right before he died, Well you can give me his hide."
  • In 2005, a sample from "It's Too Late" appeared on the track "Gone" from Kanye West.
  • In 2007, Redding was referenced in the song "Been There Before" by the band Hanson. The lyrics, "Well the young man sitting/ On the dock of the bay/ He took a longterm trip/ On a first class plane/ Now the whole world listens/ To that one man's song" reference Redding's recording of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" before his plane crash.
  • In the 1988 movie Bull Durham, the character Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), sings the wrong words to "Try a Little Tenderness" (thinking the line "young girls, they do get weary" is actually "young girls, they do get woolly"), leading Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) to angrily correct him.
  • In the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Grey's character "Baby" walks in on a group of resort employees dancing to "Love Man" and she is forever transformed. The song "These Arms of Mine" was also on the soundtrack.
  • In the 1993 film Grumpy Old Men, Jack Lemmon's character "John", after making love to Ariel (Ann-Margret), dances around his house to "Love Man".
  • "These Arms of Mine" was prominently featured on the "S.O.S." episode (#19, season 2) of the TV series Lost and on season four of the U.S. version of So You Think You Can Dance.
  • "My Lover's Prayer" was featured in "From Where To Eternity", a season two episode of the TV series The Sopranos.
  • The song "For Your Precious Love" plays during the opening scene of the 2006 French film "Tell No One".
  • In the 1985 film, Heaven Help Us, Michael Dunn (Andrew McCarthy) and Danni (Mary Stuart Masterson) slow dance to the song, "I've Been Loving You Too Long" that Danni selects from a jukebox at a boardwalk place.
  • In 2008, rock n roll/punk band The Gaslight Anthem paid tribute to Redding (among others) in the song "Once Upon a Time". He was also listed as an influence for their album "The 59 Sound" in Alternative Press.
  • In 2003, ska/soul band The Adjusters released an album entitled 'Otis Redding Will Save America'
  • In the popular sitcom Rita Rocks, Jay Clemens admits his love for Ottis Redding and his wife Rita does of a cover of his popular hit song "Try a Little Tenderness."
  • Redding's version of "White Christmas" was featured in the 2003 film "Love Actually".
  • The Blues Brothers Band used the song "Can't Turn You Loose" as their entrance/exit theme for their concerts and the movie.
  • Arthur Conley released a song, "Otis Sleep On" in 1968.
  • In the movie Shrek, Eddie Murphy's character "Donkey" tells Shrek he's "got to got to got to try some tenderness!" These words, along with some other lyrics, are a clear reference to Try a Little Tenderness.
  • Wong Kar Wai's first feature length English-language film "My Blueberry Nights" (2007) featured Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" several times.
  • In 2004, Otis was mentioned in the song "'Merican" by American Punk Band Descendents, which talks about the good and bad things about America. "I come from the land of Ben Franklin / Twain and Poe and Walt Whitman / Otis Redding, Ellington, / The country that I love / But it's a land of the slaves and the ku klux klan / Haymarket riot and the great depression / Joe McCarthy, Vietnam / The sickest joke I know".
  • Mae West sang "Hard to Handle" in the 1970 film Myra Breckinridge
  • In 1994, Pearl Jam performed "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay".
  • In an episode of "House" on Fox, " That's How Strong My Love Is" plays after an argument between Dr. House and his roommate Dr. Wilson.
  • Television show How I Met Your Mother frequently mentions Otis Redding as being the favourite artist of main character Ted Mosby. In an episode Cigarettes and Coffee plays.
  • In John Mayer's Where the Light Is the intro to his song "Gravity" is Otis' song Dreams to Remember.
  • In 2007, Guy Sebastian covered three Redding songs on his The Memphis Album as follows:

In the Holiday movie "This Christmas" Chris Brown character Baby sang Try A Little Tenderness

Discography

Albums

Year Title U.S. Billboard 200 U.K. Albums Chart
1964 Pain in My Heart (Atco) 103 28
1965 The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (Volt) 75 30
Otis Blue (Volt) 75 6
1966 The Soul Album (Volt) 54 22
Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul (Volt) 73 23
1967 King & Queen with Carla Thomas (Stax) 36 18
Live in Europe (Volt) 32 14
The History of Otis Redding (greatest hits album) (Volt) 9 2

Albums released posthumously

Year Title U.S. Billboard 200 U.K. Albums Chart
1968 The Dock of the Bay (Volt) 4 1
The Immortal Otis Redding (Atco) 58 19
In Person at the Whisky a Go Go (Atco) 82 -
1969 Love Man (Atco) 46 -
1970 Tell the Truth (Atco) 200 -
1993 Good to Me: Live at the Whisky a Go Go, Vol. 2 (Stax) 200 -

Other albums

Singles

All singles issued on Volt Records unless otherwise noted.

Year Title U.S. R&B Singles U.S. Pop Singles U.K. Singles
1961 "Shout Bamalama" - - -
"Gettin' Hip" (Alshire Records) - - -
1962 "These Arms of Mine" 20 85 -
1963 "That's What My Heart Needs" 27 - -
"Pain in My Heart" - 61 -
1964 "Come to Me" - 69 -
"Security" - 97 -
"Chained and Bound" - 70 -
"Mr. Pitiful"/
"That's How Strong My Love Is"
10
18
41
74
-
"Stand by Me" - - -
"Things Go Better With Coke..."
(A Man And A Woman) [1964 Commercial]
- - -
1965 "I've Been Loving You Too Long" 2 21 -
"Respect" 4 35 -
"Just One More Day"/
"I Can't Turn You Loose"
15
11
85
-
29
"My Girl" - - 11
"A Change Is Gonna Come" - - -
1966 "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" 4 31 33
"My Lover's Prayer" 10 61 37
"Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" 12 29 23
1967 "Try a Little Tenderness" 4 25 46
"Day Tripper" - - 43
"I Love You More Than Words Can Say"/
"Let Me Come On Home"
30
-
78
-
-
48
"Shake" (Live) 16 47 28
"Glory of Love" 19 60 -
"Tramp" with Carla Thomas (Stax) 2 26 18
"Knock on Wood" with Carla Thomas (Stax) 8 30 35

Singles released posthumously

All singles issued on Atco Records unless otherwise noted.

Year Title U.S. R&B Singles U.S. Pop Singles U.K. Singles
1968 "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (Volt) 1 1 3
"The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)" (Volt) 10 25 24
"Amen"
"Hard to Handle"
15
38
36
51
-
15
"I've Got Dreams to Remember" 6 41 -
"Lovey Dovey" with Carla Thomas (Stax) 21 60 -
"White Christmas"
"Merry Christmas, Baby"
- -
9
-
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (Live) 10 21 -
1969 "A Lover's Question" 20 48 -
"When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" with Carla Thomas - - -
"Love Man" 17 72 43
"Your Love Has Lifted Me (Higher and Higher)"/
"Free Me"
30 - -
"Look at That Girl" - - -
"Demonstration" - - -
1970 "Give Away None of My Love" - - -
1971 "I've Been Loving You Too Long (Live)" - - -
1976 "You Left the Water Running" (Stone--bootleg single) - - -

References

  1. ^ Pat Browne, The guide to United States popular culture, 2001, p. 672
  2. ^ Richard J. Ripani, The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999, 2006, p. 85.
  3. ^ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
  4. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304776,00.html
  5. ^ "Otis Redding biography". Redding Family Properties. http://www.otisredding.com/main.php4#. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. 
  6. ^ http://www.wliw.org/PRODUCTIONS/otis.html
  7. ^ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=150138715
  8. ^ Walden, Alan. "Remembering Otis Redding". jpp-product.club.fr. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  9. ^ "Eyewitness Tells of Otis Redding's Violent Death", Jet, December 28, 1967
  10. ^ Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding Songfacts
  11. ^ Rolling Stone review for Otis Redding: The Dock of the Bay
  12. ^ a b c d Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Trade. ISBN 0825672848. Pg. 138–142
  13. ^ 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll
  14. ^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty. 
  15. ^ "Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding' DVD to be Released September 18". http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/otis_reading_dreams_to_remember_dvd_07. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. 

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